Tooth-brush



P. s. ALLEN.

(No Model.)

TOOTH BRUSH.

No. 596,450.. Patented Dec. 28,1897.

, INVENTOR @602. .5, E33 7 WITNESSES Attorney m: Noam: PETERS co. worou'mu. WASHINGTON. 0. c.

. NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED s. ALLEN, or VALPARAISO, NEBRASKA.

TOOTH-BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,450, dated December 28, 1897.

Application filed February 1, 1897. Serial No. 621,382. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED S. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Valparaiso, in the county of Saunders and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tooth-Brushes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to toothbrushes, the object of the same being to provide a toothbrush having a reservoir connected thereto for containing liquid cleansing material and means for feeding said cleansing material in small quantities from said reservoir to the bristles of the brush during the brushing operation.

The invention consists of a tooth-brush having a hollow tubular handle constituting a reservoir for liquid cleansing material,with a closing-cap upon the rear end thereof, a valve-casing in the forward end thereof adjacent to the bristles of the brush, and a plugvalve fitting within said casing adapted to be turned in one direction or the other for the purpose of permitting the flow of the cleansing material to the brush or for cutting oif the flow altogether.

The invention also consists in other details of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved brush. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the plug-valve open. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the plug-valve, with the rubber gasket thereon slightly separated from it. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 00 a of Fig. 2, looking rearwardly.

Like reference-numerals indicate like parts in the difierent views.

My improved tooth brush may be constructed of metal, hard rubber, gutta-percha, or any other suitable material, with a hollow tubular handle 1, constituting a reservoir for liquid cleansing material and an extension 2, formed integral with and projecting from one end of said handle and to which the bristles 3, constituting the brush proper, are attached. The rear end of the handle 1 is provided with internal screwthreads 4, with which are adapted to engage external screw- I threads upon the closing-cap 5. At the opposite end of the handle 1, or that end adjacent to the bristles 3, said handle is provided with a cylindrical valve-casing 6, having internal screw-threads 7 near its outer end and having its rear end provided with a plurality of openings 8 8, located adjacent to the sides of said casing, the casing 6 being formed integral with and projecting into the end of the handle 1, adjacent to the bristles 3. Fitting within the casing 6 is a plug-valve 9,having external screw-threads 10 upon it, which are adapted to engage the screw-threads 7 in said casing, and provided with a central aperture 11, as clearly shown. Its extreme rear end is formed with a central boss 12, upon which fits a gasket 13, of rubber or other suitable material, the gasket 13 being of substantially the same diameter as the body of the valve 9. When the plug-valve 9 is screwed up tightly into the casing 6,the rubber gasket 13 is forced into close contact with the rear end of said casing, closing the openings 8 8 and shutting off the flow of liquid from the reservoir 1.

When it is desired to use the brush, a constant flow or dripping of the liquid cleansing material from the reservoir 1 may be brought about by'unscrewing the plug-valve 9, separating the gasket 13 from the rear end of the casing 6, and permitting the passage of the liquid through the openings 8 in the casingfi and the aperture 11 in the plug-valve 9.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have devised an extremely simple reservoir tooth-brush, in which the flow of cleansing material from the reservoir may be regulated or shut off altogether. It should be understood that it is not necessary to remove the plug-valve 9 from the casing 6 in order to permit the flow of cleansing material from the reservoir. Slightly unscrewing the said plug and separating the gasket 13 from the rear end of the casing 6 is all that is necessary.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

IOO

As an improved article of manufacture, a tooth-brush comprisingatubular handle having an extension formed integral With and projecting from one end thereof, a brush proper secured to or formed upon said extension, a cylindrical valve-casing formed integral with and projecting into the end of the handle adjacent to the brush, said casing being provided with internal screw-threads and having openings in its inner end adjacent to the sides thereof, a plug-valve having external screwthreads adapted to fit within the valve-casing and engage the threads thereof, said valve having a boss upon its rear end and a central longitudinal aperture extending therethrough, and a rubber gasket fitting upon 7 said boss and of substantially the same diameter as the body of the valve, said gasket be- 

